Biomutant
I visited Experiment 101's booth for the third consecutive Gamescom to see what the Swedish studio was up to. As it turns out, there’s a reason the team hasn’t been making headlines lately: They’re busy making the game. It’s been one of my most anticipated titles since I first saw it in 2017, and I was eager to see more of the post-apocalyptic kung-fu fable, as they call it. Rather than showing off a live demo as they have in the past, I got to watch a lengthy video that highlights just some of what players will be able to see if they spend enough time exploring the game’s world. Some of the highlights included a giant tortoise-like creature with buildings on its back, a boss battle where players pilot an octopus ship that can clamp down on the monster’s mouth and inject ink into its maw, and, my favorite, a mechanical hand vehicle. Players can ride on its hand as it creeps along like Thing from The Addam’s Family (sorry, I’m old), and it can activate a combat mode where it makes a finger-gun gesture while firing. I also caught a glimpse of the game’s six faction leaders, who each are masters of a unique weapon, such as a bo staff or nunchuks. Players choose to ally with one of the factions, and then can kill or spare the remaining ones as they work through the narrative. Be merciful, and you can even learn their abilities, seamlessly switching between them in combat. I wish I could have gotten some hands-on time with Biomutant, but I was still happy to see that it continues to look better every time I see it. Experiment 101 is a small studio of about 20 developers, and they’re currently working to ensure that it ships as bug-free and is as polished as possible. Look for it in 2020.
